


Mitch’s Cat

by Efstitt



Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Cats, Death, Mitch loves animals so much, Pets, This is sad sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:15:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28802670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Efstitt/pseuds/Efstitt
Summary: This is a one-shot (I *swear*), taking place the summer after Wishes, for those of you who read that interminable work. If not, no worries. Jack was adopted by Denton and Darcy, at seventeen. Mitch, age six, is Darcy’s son (also adopted by Denton) and loves animals.Mitch finds a wounded cat behind the garage and wants to help.Warning: this is sad.
Relationships: Bryan Denton/Darcy
Comments: 15
Kudos: 6





	Mitch’s Cat

“Daddy! DADDY!” Mitch shrieked, racing into the kitchen, eyes wild, his dark hair plastered to his sweaty forehead. “DADDY!” Jack’s head jerked up as he listened from his bedroom, oiling his catcher’s glove. He heard Darcy tumble down the stairs two at a time.

“What? What’s the matter?” Darcy yelped.

Mitch crashed into Darcy at the bottom of the stairs right as Jack yanked open his bedroom door to see what was going on. “Daddy! There’s a cat! And he’s hurt! Hurry!” He grabbed for Darcy’s hand and pulled him toward the back door into the hot summer afternoon.

Jack exchanged a concerned look with Darcy and followed them out. Mitch’s bare feet strained against the grassy yard, pulling Darcy harder until they rounded the back corner of the garage. Mitch released Darcy’s hand and crawled into the patch of day lilies.

“Be careful,” said Darcy resignedly, “strange cats might not want to be handled.”

Jack chuckled. “Like that would stop him.” Still, he focused hard on what he could see of his almost-seven-year-old (in eleven days!) brother Mitch, relieved when Mitch started to back out of the leafy corner.

Mitch cradled a calico cat in his arms. “Daddy, look.” He held the cat up for inspection. It was obviously severely malnourished, and had long scratches all along one side of its body. It lay limp in Mitch’s gentle embrace.

“Oh, Mitch, honey,” said Darcy. “This poor thing. He needs a vet, baby.”

“I’ll take them,” said Jack suddenly. “Let me do it.” He held out his arms to Mitch. “Let me have him. Go get your shoes on.”

Mitch carefully handed the cat to Jack, and took off for the house.

“Jack, are you sure? That cat...” Darcy asked hesitantly. “You know how Mitch is about animals.” Jack waved him off as he went into the garage.

“Okay, well, let me help you find a box, then.” Darcy pulled out a box from a corner and shook out an old beach towel to put in it. Jack slowly lowered the cat into the box, where it simply lay still.

“Kinda like me, hm,” muttered Jack. “You guys are like a magnet for guys like us,” he said, flicking his hand toward the cat.

Darcy put his arm around Jack’s shoulders. “You guys are the blessings. Don’t forget that.” He pulled Jack’s head in and kissed his hair. Jack’s nose started to feel a little funny. He’d never get tired of these kisses.

“Yeah, well, I dunno about that...” he murmured. Darcy squeezed him again, getting Jack to smile.

Mitch slammed the back door open and ran to the car. “Hurry! Put him back here so I can take care of him on the way!” Jack lifted the box into the back seat as Mitch buckled himself in. Jack shut the back door and got into the driver’s seat, adjusting the mirrors and giving Darcy a quick wave before backing out of the driveway. He knew the way to the vet’s office just outside of town. Not that he’d ever been there, but he felt good about Darcy trusting him with this sudden mission.

Mitch started to sing to the cat, a made up tune, as usual. “You’ll feel better... and it’s a sunny day...”

Jack slowed at a red light and glanced in the rear view mirror. “How’s he doing?”

Mitch ignored him, stroking the cat lovingly as he continued to sing. “And you’ll run in our back yard... and find another kitty... and you’ll fall in love...” Jack tried to tell if the cat was making any sounds at all, but couldn’t hear anything. He kept driving, and soon pulled into the gravel parking lot of the vet’s office.

Mitch quit singing and tore off his seat belt. Jack jumped out to grab the box for Mitch, and together they rushed into the vet’s office. Mitch ran straight to the desk and started explaining everything to the lady sitting there, pointing urgently at the box. Jack looked down, and from what he could tell, this cat was not moving. He bit his lip, trying to communicate with the lady at the desk with his eyes, uncertain whether this cat was going to make it.

The door to the office area swung open in the middle of Mitch’s desperate speech, and Jack guessed that the authoritative looking lady who entered the waiting room must be Dr. Montano. She motioned for Jack to come over with the box, and peered inside.

“Let’s bring him back and take a look, okay?” she asked Mitch quietly. Mitch checked with Jack, and Jack nodded at him. They followed her to a small exam room, and Jack lifted the cat out of the box and onto the table. The cat did not move at all. Dr. Montano did a quick and thorough check.

“Is this your cat, boys?” she asked.

“No,” said Jack, at the same moment that Mitch said a vehement yes. “Okay, well, for the past fifteen minutes, yes,” Jack added. “Mitch just found him in our yard.”

Dr. Montano looked at Jack and gave him a sad smile. “What a lucky cat, to have had so much love in the last fifteen minutes. Better to have love late than never.” Jack tried to show his agreement with the smile he returned to her, but Mitch did not appear to be paying much attention.

“So he’ll be okay?” Mitch asked, petting the cat.

Dr. Montano put her hand on Mitch’s. “Your cat has passed away, Mitch. I’m sorry. I can see you loved him very much.”

Mitch whirled around and looked up at Jack. “What does that mean? Is he dead? Jack?” Mitch’s eyes filled with tears as his hand slowed on the cat’s head.

Jack reached out and scooped Mitch up in his arms, his own eyes starting to water. “The cat’s dead, Mitch,” he whispered as Mitch wrapped his legs around Jack’s waist. “But you did good. You did real good.” Mitch buried his head in Jack’s neck, his tears coming fast and hot. Jack swayed him back and forth, kissing the top of Mitch’s head as best he could. Mitch’s tears soaked Jack’s t-shirt.

“Do you want us to take care of the cat, or...?” Dr. Montano asked.

“Mitch? Mitch, buddy?” Jack whispered into Mitch’s ear. “Do you wanna let Dr. Montano take care of the cat, or do you wanna bury him at home?” He had a feeling what Mitch’s answer would be, and he was right.

“Home,” Mitch sobbed.

#

Jack, Mitch, Darcy, and Denton all stood around the little dirt mound behind the garage, near the day lilies. Jack rested his hands on the shovel, his hands and arms still dusty from digging the hole. 

“Mitch, I’m so proud of you,” said Denton, stroking Mitch’s tear-streaked face. “You did everything you could to love and care for this cat.”

“Peanut Butter,” Mitch said. “His name was Peanut Butter.”

“I’m proud of how you cared for Peanut Butter,” said Denton, accepting Mitch’s correction. “You have a great big heart for animals, and Peanut Butter was very lucky.”

“I wanted him to live,” said Mitch, the tears starting up again. “He could have slept on my bed.” Jack did not miss Darcy’s slight wince, and tried not to smile; Darcy would not want cat hair everywhere. He gazed at the little mound again, once more seeing himself in that cat. What would have happened to him, he wondered about himself, if he hadn’t come to Darcy the morning after his dad had thrown him out? What would have happened if, if, if... if they hadn’t taken him back after he ran away, or if they had gotten tired of him learning how to be a part of their family? It had taken him a long time, and he still felt like he screwed up more than he should. He could well be dead too.   
  
Jack blinked back his tears and squeezed the shovel handle. He sniffed a little, just enough that Denton and Darcy noticed. Denton took the shovel from him and laid it on the ground before holding Jack tight.

“It coulda been me,” Jack said into Denton’s shoulder.

“It wasn’t,” Denton said. “It wasn’t. You’re safe. You’re here and you’re safe.” Jack nodded, trying to relax. He knew he was safe here. He knew he wasn’t going anywhere. He was adopted, for good. But he knew what Peanut Butter had felt like, and he knew Peanut Butter could have been loved here, just like he was. He gripped Denton’s shirt tight as he breathed himself back to being calm again, and finally let go. 

He turned to see Mitch kneeling on the ground, patting the dirt just so. “We love you, Peanut Butter...” he sang softly.

Jack got down on the ground with Mitch, and helped.


End file.
